Lawyers e-Journal

Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013

Tiered Community Mentoring Program teams meet at the Oct. 24 kick-off event.

Photos by Jason Scally.

Tiered Community Mentoring Program enters into fifth year

The Massachusetts Bar Association's Tiered Community Mentoring
Program entered into its fifth year with new and returning attorney
mentors and students mentees. This year, the program was expanded
from 40 to nearly 50 participants.

The TCM initiative, the idea of Chief Justice of the Probate and
Family Court Angela M. Ordoñez, matches practicing attorneys with
students from local high schools, colleges and law schools. The
participating schools are New Mission High School in Hyde Park,
Roxbury Community College, Northeastern University and Suffolk
University Law School. In 2011, the program was honored with the
2011 ABA Partnership Award from the American Bar Association
because of its commitment to diversity.

On October 24, MBA President Douglas K. Sheff welcomed this
year's group and emphasized the importance of both mentoring and
networking as they complete their education and move into the
professional world. Sheff spoke of his father, attorney Irving
"Chick" Sheff, who began mentoring him at a very young age, a time
when the younger Sheff did not necessarily want to be mentored. Now
as an adult and an attorney, Sheff said he has come to realize how
valuable that education was for him.

During the morning part of the program, past and current mentee
participant Charrell Hendricks spoke to the group about how
worthwhile this program was for her and that it had benefitted her
significantly as she continued her pursuit of her college degree.
She emphasized how valuable it was being a part of this large group
and, more specifically, her team made up of an attorney mentor, a
law student and high school student. Hendricks said participating
in the TCM Program improved her self confidence and gave her the
resources to pursue her professional endeavors.

The kick-off event concluded with a trip to the Massachusetts
Emergency Management Agency Bunker located in Framingham. The group
was given a tour of the facility and an in-depth overview of the
responsibilities of MEMA by the Public Information Officer Peter
Judge.